The possibility of being a victim of sexual assault is something that all women fear or have feared at one time. Rape. While lying in bed alone at night -- Was that the house settling or should I call 9-1-1? While walking to your car alone late at night -- Just let me make it to my car and I will never do this again. While on a first date with someone you don't really know -- I've never been here before. Where is he taking me?

For many of us, the thought never goes beyond that point. What would I do if someone tried to attack me? Would I survive? We don't want to think about the horrific reality, the second by second scenario of what might happen. Instead, we push those thoughts away and go to that happy place in our mind.

It is because so many women are not prepared that makes us easy targets. Men in our society have been reared to fight back, to be aggressive, and to survive. Many women have a hard time with verbal confrontration and are completely incapable of physical confrontation. In many cases, women who have had no form of defense training submit to their attacker, often with fatal results.

The victimization continues in other aspects of society as women continue to refuse to accept responsibility for their own safety. Consider the "Take Back the Night Alliance", a violence awareness organization that is popular on college campuses. They advocate making posters, publishing statistics, and "marching against fear." Meanwhile, college campuses are known for sexual assaults against women. Yet, firearms, knives, or other forms of personal protection that would equalize the strength disparity between men and women are banned.

The National Organization for Women advocates education and awareness, but consistently supports legislative restrictions on firearms. The message seems to be that men will use their firearms to attack their female partners. No consideration seems to be given to the advantage that a firearm or other self-defense device gives a woman over a larger, male attacker. Again, the message from NOW is one of fear. From NOW's perspective, a woman is not even safe with her lover. Therefore, more government money is needed to print brochures and create "awareness"; i.e., fear of the man closest to her.

Organizations like the Violence Policy Center also perpetuates the fear mentality by suggesting that the mere presence of a firearm will lead to mass mayhem. One simply cannot resist going on a violent rampage when an inanimate firearm is present. In this case, the fear is instilled in their male counterparts. Go along with this anti-gun madness or face the wrath of a crazy woman who actually believes that if guns are banned, violent crime will disappear. Unfortunately, a man who cannot speak his mind to his wife will have a hard time protecting his family in the event of an emergency.

Advocating responsibility for one's defense does not suggest that an ill-prepared woman is a deserved victim. Nor does it suggest that a well-prepared woman will always be safe. Rather it is a matter of common sense and an expression of personal value.

When you take the time to invest in yourself and your safety, you make a statement about your sense of self-worth. Regardless of whether you take a basic self-defense course at your local community center, devote serious study to martial arts training, complete several courses in firearm tactical defense, or all of the above, you are making an investment in your overall well-being.

A woman needs to think about her safety as seriously as she thinks about her other basic needs such as food and financial security. By investing her time in defense training and planning, and by shedding the victim mentality, women will have a higher chance of discouraging an attack from happening in the first place. And if an attack should occur, she will be prepared and will stand a reasonable chance of saving her life.

Jennifer Freeman is Executive Director and co-founder of Liberty Belles, a grass-roots organization dedicated to restoring and preserving the Second Amendment.
http://www.libertybelles.org
jennifer@libertybelles.org